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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · leaves · rest · clip · mine · chair · object · safe

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. clip — a video
  12. suit — to fit
  13. clip — to cut
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rest — what's left
  18. suit — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. suit — clothes
  21. object — a thing
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com